The norris petehs co



2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. W; PARSONS;

. STRAW CUTTER; N 77,209;

Patented Apr. 28, 1868.

In: "gums versus :0 .wowuwu msumcrm, ou:

hitch fates atent GEORGE PARSONS. OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA;

Letters Potent No. 77,209, elated April 28,1868.

mrnovnnnnr m srnAw-currnss.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it lznown that I, Gnonen W. Psnsons, of Harrisburg, in'theeounty ofDauphin, ,and State of Penn- "sylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Straw-Gutters; and I do hereby declare thatthe followingis a full, clear, and'exact description of the construction andoperation of thesame, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 of plate is a view of the right-hand side of themachine.

Figure 2 of plate 1 is a side view of internal gear-wheel and pinions.

Figure 3 of plate 1 is a plan or top view of the machine. v

' Figure 4 of plate 1 is a view in detail, showing the manner ofattaching crank to the driving-gear wheels Plate 2.

Figure 1 is a view of the lefthand side of the machine. 4

Figure 2 is a top view in detail of balance-wheel and its attachmentsouknife-shaft.

Figures 3 and 4 are'sectional views of feed-roller disks, with teethdove-tailed therein.

Figure5 is a detailed view, showing the manner in which the teeth of thedisks engage each other.

Likeletters in the diflerent figures of the drawings represent likeparts.

The nature of my invention consists in- First, operating thefeed-rollers by means of a short shaft of a knife-driving gear-wheel,supported by a movable and adjustable brace, the end of said shaft beingprovided with pinions of different sizes, so arranged, in combinationwith an internal gear-wheel on the shaft of the lower feed-roller, thatdifl'erent lerigthsof cuts of the straw or other material may beobtained. 4 I 7 Second, communicating motion from the lower to the upperfeed-roller by means of two circular plates or disks, engaging oneanother by peculiarly constructed teeth, of malleable iron, withdove-tailed shanks, suit ably arranged on the face sides of the disks,in'the casting or moulding thereof, the said gearing operating the upperwith the lower roller, and allowing the necessary play for differentthicknesses of straw or other materials to pass between the rollers infeeding the machine.

Third, counterbalances on the arms of the knife-shaft, opposite to theknife, and so that they can be removed, and another knife attached intheir place. v Fourth, the manner of causing the fly-wheel to revolvewith the shaft, by means of radial-ribs on the end ofthe hub of thewheel, fitting similar ribs on a fixed-washer, in combination with anelastic washer and a metallic screw-nut, or by inserting wooden pins inholes through the ivheel'and the driving-washer, by a pin,

through the shaft engaging with the wheel, so that-the fly-wheel maycontinue to revolve independently of the shaft, in case of suddenstoppage of the knife, and thus avoiding liability of injury to theknife or other part I of the machinery. I V

Fifth, the manner of securing the crank to the driving-wheel by onescrew or rivet, the crank having small lugs or flanges engaging the arm6f the. wheel,

To enable others skilled in the art tomake and any invention, I willproceed to describe the constructionnnd operation of the same.

I construct my straw-cutter with a frame, AA, and box B, andfeeding-rollers C10, (represented dotted lines in fig.-1 of plate 1,)and place across the frame, in suitable bearings, a knife-shaft, D,similar the machines now in use. To arms o'n the knife-shaft I attachattuned-cylindrical knife, E, and place'onarme opposite to each end ofthe knife removable weights, F F, to counterbalance .the weight of theknife and its attachments, the counterbalanees being held in place byscrewsior bolts, so that they can he removed when'it is desired toincrease the cutting capacity or themachine, and another knife attachedin the same place. The knife is made adjustable, to meet the bar orfixed. cutter plate, by being attached to arms provided with slate, andscrew-bolts inserted through the slots, and into the fixed arms of theshaft, thus allowing the knife to be moved upor down on the fixed arms,and set to the position desired. I find it more desirable to have! theknife adjustable than the bar or cutter-plate, as in other machines, asit can'bo-adjust'ed with more convenience than the cutter-plate. I

t The feeding-roller'O islsmoothj, and revolves below and behind thecutter-bar Gr,in fixed bearings." The feeding-roller C is ribbed:longitudinally, and is held'in position above the lower roller 0 bymeans of eheckor 'sidepieces," with slots for the lplay of the shaftofthe, roller, and is held down on the material by means of spring orsprings.

On the'right-hand en dof the shaft of the lower roller 0, 1 place'an'internal gear-wheel, H, which may be as small or as large as desired. vIuse one seven inches in diameter.

Asmall cog-pinion, I, is placed on the right-hand end of. tho.knife-shaft D.' This pinion mcsheswith 4' large cog-wheel, K, to whichthe handle or crank L is attached, when the machine is operated by hand.Other pow'ergmay be applied, by belt on the balance whccl Mo) on asmallpulley that may be-attachedto the wheel.v 'The crank has small flanges,a a, projecting, so. as to engage and clasp one of the arms of the wheelK, and

a is held to its place, by a single screw or rivet, b. I

. The wheel K is secured upon the outer end of a short shaft, 0, whichshaft is supported by a movable and; an adjustable brace, N, the frontend of which brace is held in place-by the knife shaft passin'g throughit, a The other end of the brace is m hde with a vertical slot, d,-andsecured by a screw or bo'lt,.e,"to the frame A;

The brace may also be made so that both ends thereof are secureddirectly to the frame, or in any other man nor, provided it is so madeas to be movable and adjustable.

' a t,- ",The inner endo'f the shaft'c'ofthe driving-wheel K is madewith a small cog-pinion, 0, which engages and meshes with the internalgear-wheel.

When an internal gear wheel of small diameter-say seven inchdiamster--ishsed,in order tofas' short a length of births is desirable,the pinion must be so small that it can'only be made by castingit on thei "'end off the shaft 1:. v To make a changein the ,lengthof the cut ot'thestraw,-I employ another small pinion, P,.which is attached byunfastening the slotted end of the-brace. N, and moving the braceoutward, so that the fsecond. pinion, P, may he slipped over the smallpinion, Qfon the end-of the shaft, the internal part offthe pinion Pbeing made the proper size-and shape to fit on the small pinion,; O,andby replacing and securing the br'ac e N, pinion P engages and meshesin the internal wheel.

' By making the internal gear-wheel large enough, a pinion suiiicientlysmall may be made separately, and properly, attached to the end of theshaftc, instead of being custon, the end of the shaft, as hereinbeforsdescribed, in which case the pinions may be changed as required, forsecuring difl'e rent length of cuts, by

, removing one, and substituting another of a smaller or larger size. 1

, In ,order to communicate motion from' the lower to the upperfeed-roller, I employ a disk, R, arti ans" plate, ou the shaft of eachroller, the plates 'facing each other, and are constructed withcog-teeth, f f f, arranged around on the' face sides. These cog-teethare peculiarly shaped, being triangular-shaped, with rounded ends,

' and project from the sides of the plates, being disconnected from thehub, soth'at' the outer'ehds of the teeth'on the drivin Ldisk may act onthe inner ends .of those on the driven disk, and vie-averse, as shownby'fig.- 5 of plate 2. The-'cog-teeth being disconnected with the hub,and being subjected to considor'ablestrain in use, may be frequentlybroken if madeof cast iron, of whichthe plates or disks are made.therefore make the teeth of malleable iron, withzdove-tail shanks, whichare heldin the platesby being placed in the moulds of the same beforethe moulds are filled with the moltenhon.

As the knife-shaft revoiveswith rapidity, the knife and other parts ofthe machino arcexposed; to injury from the momentum of the fly-wheel,when the knife may be suddenly arrested by a solid substance in thisstraw or other material. To prevent such' injury in such cases, I employthree 'difi'crent devices, any one of which or s all 6! them may be usedat one time. i

First. The flywheel M is-placed on the shaft, ago.inst a shoulder on theshaft, haying-at said, shoulder-n hole, 9', tbrbugh the shaft, in whicha wooden pin is placed, each end of which-project's into a slotacross-the hub of the wheel, the wheel being held laterally by washersand a screw-nut on the end of the shaft. When.

the knife is suddenly nrrs'ted,-the momentum of the fly-wheel' willbreak the wooden pin before breaking any part of the machine. v I

3 1 Second. I place on the shaft ontside of the hub of the wheel, awasher, S, which has a'square hole to fit,

a siiuare place on the shaft, so that it will always revolve with theshaft, and I make one or more coinciding holes, I, through said washerand hub of the wheel, in which woodenpins are placed. The momentum ofthe .wheel will break these pins before breaking 'the machino, in caseof a sudden stoppage of thckn'ife.

Third. On the outer end of the hub of the fly-wheel I ma kea series ofradial ribs .or eorrugations,"and

make similar ribs oaths inside face oftthe washer S, with square hole,(which I call'a driving-washer,) and hold the driving-washer against thehub of the wheel by a sorew nut, T, on the shaft, 'with an elasticwasher, g, between the driving-washer and the nut. When the knife-shaftis suddenly stopped, the radial ribs'on the whaelhub will 'slip over andpass by those on the drivingqvasher, the'elastic washer allowingthedriving-washer to mov'e'outwardiy en the shaft sufliciently for thatpurpose. a

" v O oeratidm f I a The operator, standing on the right-hand side ofthe machine, turns the crank. L, attached to the drivingwheel K, withthe right hand, and with the left hand adjusts the material in the box,B, so that thefeed-rollers more the material to the knife. V I VThedifl'erent lengths of cuts are obtained by changing the pinionsontheend of shaft 0, as described in the specification. I

It i obvinufl thatmy improved machine is adapted to the outt'ing ofvarious other materials besid' such as corn-husks and stalks; hay, stemsand leaves of tobacco, 8tc., and I do not desire to restrict myself tothe use of my improvement in cutting straw alone.

Claims. Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim thereinas new; and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- I. The pinion O, onthe end of the shaft 0 of the driving-gear wheel, in combination withthe movable and adjustable brace N.

2. The internal gear-wheel H, in combination with the driving-gear wheelK, whose shaft is supported by a movable and adjustable brace, as setforth.

3. The movable and adjustable-brace N, supporting the largo gear-wheelK, in combination with the cogpinion I on the knife-shaft D.

4. The pinion P, fitting on and over the pinion O, in combination withthe shaft and driving-gear Wheel K.

5. The combination, in a straw-cutter, of a feed-roller whose shaftmoves up and down, with the drivinggear wheel K and pinion 0, when saidwheel and pinion are supported by an outside brace.

6. The emplo'ymentof detachable counterbalances F F on the arms of theknife-shaft D, when combined with a single adjustable rotary knife. l

7. Operating the feed-roller C.of a straw-cutter by means of the disksB, when constructed with cogteet'h ff); disconnected radially from thehubs thereof, in the manner and for the purpose as described.

8. The screw-nut T, elastic washer g, and fixed driving-washer S, withradial ribs, in combination with the radial ribs on the hub of thefly-wheel, substantially as described.

9. The cohstruction of the hub and fixed driving-washer, with holes, 71,for the insertion of wooden pins, substantially as described.

10. The construction of the shaft, with a hole. for the insertion of awooden pin, with the slot across the hub of the fly-wheel, substantiallyas described.

' GEO. W. PARSONS.

Witnesses:

G. B. TOWLES, W. Beams.

